Heritage site was built as a mosque in the 8th century before Spanish royalty turned it into a Christian church
A fire has broken out in the historic mosque-turned-cathedral of the Spanish city of Córdoba. Videos online show flames and smoke coming from inside the major tourist attraction.
The fire service told AFP it had deployed to La Mezquita-Catedral late on Friday without giving further details.
Local media reported the blaze broke out when a mechanical sweeping machine caught fire in one of the chapels at about 9pm, and then spread to the roof. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Considered a jewel of Islamic architecture, the site was built as a mosque – on the site of an earlier church – between the 8th and 10th centuries by the southern city’s then Muslim ruler, Abd al-Rahman, an emir of the Umayyad dynasty.
